Harry Easterbrook, Waste
To serve our customers better, we've restructured Arco to ensure we're fully aligned with the needs of individual industry sectors. In the Waste sector, we’ve got an even sharper focus on the specific hazards.
One of the main safety hazards in the Waste sector is workers being struck by moving equipment and vehicles. So a great deal of the products and advice we provide is around ensuring visibility and protection.
Controlling cost is key in the sector. Staff working in the waste industry are subject to harsh environments and often this can lead to high staff turnover. To add to the risk, the work is carried out at high speed, increasing the chance of injury. Hand injuries, particularly needle stick injuries, are therefore a common hazard, so our expertise in protective gloves is invaluable for our clients.
Needle stick injuries can have far reaching consequences for employees in terms of blood tests, stress, time off work. To protect them, we've introduced gloves with a higher level of protection and are educating employers about the issue. We're able to demonstrate that although the initial cost of these gloves is higher, it can still save money in terms of recruitment, lost productivity and potential legal costs in the event of a claim.
One key client in the Waste sector wanted a more sustainable way to reduce their own waste. However, their employees were using a cut-protection glove with a disposable glove over the top, which was being replaced several times a day. We reviewed their usage and were able to provide a cut-protection glove with a permanent water-resistant layer on the outside. This both improved protection for their people and reduced the amount of waste they were producing.
As experts in safety, we can see often see things that our customers can't. This allows us to pre-emptively offer solutions to save them time, money and hassle.
Dropped items are the 3rd biggest cause of death in all industries, yet it's a risk that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. If an item is dropped you lose time going to fetch it again, if the item is damaged or causes damage to property, or machinery the costs can quickly add up and in a worst case scenario, dropped items can cause injury or even death. We undertake surveys of tasks and equipment for our customers and produce solutions to customer's unique challenges, in this case tool tethering guidance and equipment. This helped them to proactively address the issue before it became a bigger problem.
For me, it's about making a difference to people’s working lives. It's not about sales and profits. Something as simple as providing more comfortable boots or a waterproof jacket that helps someone get safely through the day is very rewarding. People in the waste sector work incredibly hard in difficult, often unpleasant conditions. So it’s good to know we’re helping them carry out those jobs we often take for granted, safely and comfortably.
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